Weft-replenishing mechanism for double-shuttle looms



April 1, 1930. R. G. TURNER 1,752,405

WEFT REPLIENISHING MECHANISM FOR DOUBLE SHUTTLE LOOMS Filed April 23, 1929' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v 7 1/ Y J Jive-wra Woe 4P0 6. EPA 57F if a I pril 1, 1930.

R. G. TURNER Filed April 23, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 47 l g .22 In 7 I l lii (11) qD] ,jz 1 i K z a i I 1 sq k 4,

JVI/E/VTO/EP Ill"! 7 M Patented Apr. 1, 1930 warren STATES PATE OFECE RICHARD G. TURNER, OF 'WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON &

I KNOWLES LOOM WORKS; OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A COBPORATIO MASSACHUSETTS WEFT-REIPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR DOUBIlE-SHUTTLE LOOMS Application filed April 23,

This invention relates to mechanism for replenishing the weft in a 100m of the double shuttle type.

It is the general object of my invention to provide an improved construction by which a weft carrier may be accurately positioned for transfer from a single compartment magazine to either the upper or lower shuttle of a double shuttle loom.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a supporting device by which, a weft carrier in the magazine will be normally maintained in position for transfer to the upper shuttle, while provision is also made for withdrawing said device to permit downward feeding movement of the weft carriers upon the occurrence of transfer to the lower shuttle. V

A further object of the invention is to provide means to maintain the weft carriers in the magazine in a desired vertical position while the retaining device is withdrawn from operative position.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the right hand end portion of a loom embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same parts, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation, taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the parts as shown in Fig. 3 but in a difierent position; I

Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevation of the transfer mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional elevation, taken along the line 77 in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a weft carrier supporting device.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a portion of the breast beam 10 of a loom and also a portion of the lay 11 on which 1929. Serial No. 357,514.

upper and lower shuttles S and S are supported and operated. A magazine M is mounted in fixed position on an extension of the breast beam 10 and comprises parallel vertically extended guideways in which weft carriers W are supported in superposed position. The normal position of the weft carriers W is as shown in Fig. 3, with the lowerfer fresh weft carriers to the shuttles S or S.

The lower transferrer 18 is slidable in recesses or guide-ways 20 in a stand 22 secured to an extension of the breast beam 10.

The supporting device 15 and upper transferrer 16 are similarly mounted in grooves I or guide-ways in frame members 25, provided with slots 26 (Fig. 5) through which screws 27 are inserted to secure the members 25 in vertically adjusted position.

The elevation of the supporting device 15 and upper transferrer 16 may thus be varied and adjusted in accordance with the height of the upper shuttle S, which will vary somewhat according to the size of the shuttle and the type of filling being woven.

The frame members 25 are also provided with ribs or projections 28 (Fig. 6) slidable in corresponding vertical guide-ways 29 in the sides of the stand 22. The ribs 28 assist materially in accurately aligning the members 25 in the stand 22. Springs 30 (Fig. 6) are attached at their rearward ends to studs 31 in the transferrers 16 and 18 and at their forward ends to cross bars 32 secured to the front end of the stand 22. The springs 30 normally maintain the transferrers in the ex-' movement of the lever 43.

- ment by a hook 41 pivotally mounted on a stud 42 secured at the upper end of a lever d3 (Fig. 2'). The lever 43 is moved rearward upon indication of transfer by cam mechanism and connections not shown.

The upper transferrer 16 is similarly provided with a stud extending through a slot 46 in an upper transfer lever 17, pivoted on thestud 38 previously described... The lever 47 is provided with a shoulder 48 positioned for engagement by a hook 19, also pivoted on the stud 42 carried by the lever 13.

A plunger or positioning rod 50 (Fig. l). is slidable in a bearing 51 and is pivoted at one end to the forwardly extending arm of a lever 53. mounted on a fixed stud 5a. The rearwardly extending arm of the lever 53 is provided with a cam face 55 which is normally maintained out of the path of a stud 57 on a shuttle indicating lever 58, mounted on the lay 11. 7

Upon indication'of transfer, the lever 53 is moved so that the cam face 55 thereof will be. engaged by the stud 57. If the shuttle is properly boxed, the lever 53 will be swung on its pivot to advance the plunger 50 and position the hook 49 so that i will engage the shoulder 18 and thereby move the trans ferrer 16 rearward upon the next rearward Similar connec tions are provided for controlling the hook 41 and determining its relations with the shoulder 10 of the lower transfer lever 37. For a more complete description of the 1 construction and operation of the devices for actuating the transfer levers 37 and 47 and for. moving the transferrers 16 and 18 rearward, reference is made to my prior applicationSerial No. 300,279,'filed August 1?, 1928.

A weft carrier engaging block 60 (Fig. 4i) is mounted at therear end of the lower transferrer 18 and this block is .of such thickness that, during transfer of the lower weft carrier W, the column of remaining weft carri-ers will be sustained by the block 60 at such height that the weft carrier N (Fig. l) will be positioned in alignment with the upper shuttle S, while the supporting device 15 is withdrawn. The block 60 is preferably clined downwardly toward the rear on upper surface, providing a slight lifting tion as it moves rearward. V

Itis necessary to withdraw the supporting device 15 to permit downward feed of the weft carrierswhen thelower transferrer 18 is operated. For this purpose, the front end its v portion 62 of the device 15 is connected by a cord or flexible member 64 to the lower transferrer 18, the cord passing around a fixed guide pulley 65, as indicated in Fig. 4. A spring 66 acts to move the supporting device 15 rearward to normal position.

VViththese connections, the supporting device is drawn forward out of its operative position as the lower transferrer 18 is moved rearward to replenish the lower shuttle S, and as the transferrer returns to normal forward position, the supporting device also moves rearward to its normal or supporting position.

The diameter of the weft carriers varies some-what for different kinds of filling and the block 60 is made of such thickness that the weft carrier WV resting thereon will support the superposed weft carrier substanially in horizontal alignment with the upper shuttle S. v i

The operation of the transfer and supporting mechanism will be readily understood by comparison of Figs. 3 and 4.. In the normal position shown in. Fig. 3., the

lower weft carrier W is in alignmentwitli the lower shuttle S and the weft carrier Vi is held by the supporting device 15 in alignment with the uppu shuttle S. If the upper shuttle is exhausted, the weft. carrier is transferred thereto, but the supporting device 15 remains operative position to receive the weft carrier W as the latter moves downward.

If, however, the lower hausted, the weft carrier W is transferred and the supporting device 15 is simultaneously withdrawn to permit the weft carrier it to move downward to the position shown in Fig. 4, in which position the weft. carrier W is maintained in alignment with the upper shuttle.

As the transferrer 18 moves rearward and the supporting device moves forward, the weftcarrier 1V maintained in alignment with the shuttle S while the weft carrier falls to the position previously occupied by the weft carrier W, asin Fig; 3.

The cord 6% provides a lost-motion. co ection between the parts 15 and 18 during. their return movement, by which the device 15 may move more slowly while inserting itself between the weft cariersWV and W Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof. 1 do not wish. to be limited to the details. herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is 1. In a double shuttle loom, a magazine having a single substantially vertical weft carrier compartment adapted to contain a plurality of superposed weft carriers, independently operable and horizontally movable transferrers for the upper and lower shutties respectively, a supporting device effective to normally maintain the next to'the lowest weft carrier in said magazine in horizontal alignment with the upper shuttle, means to withdraw said supporting device from operative position upon transfer movement of the lower transferrer.

2. In a double shuttle loom, a magazine having a single substantially vertical. weft shuttlev S is ex,

carrier compartment adapted to contain a plurality of superposed weft carriers, independently operable and horizontally movable transferrers for the upper and lower shuttles respectively, a supporting device effective to normally maintain the next to the lowest weft carrier in said magazine in horizontal alignmentwith the upper shuttle, means to withdraw said supporting device from operative position upon transfer movement of the lower transferrer, and yielding means to restore said supporting device to operative position.

3. In a double shutter loom, a magazine having a single substantially vertical weft carrier compartment adapted to contain a plurality of superposed weft carriers, inclependently operable and horizontally movable transferrers for the upper and lower shuttles respectively, a supporting device efiective to normally maintain the next to the lowest weft carrier in said magazine in horizontal alignment with the upper shuttle, means to sustain the remaining column of weft car-' riers with one of said weft carriers in horizontal alignment with the upper shuttle while said supporting device is withdrawn.

4. In a double shuttle loom, a magazine having a single substantially vertical weft carrier compartment adapted to contain a plurality of superposed weft carriers, independently operable and horizontally movable transferrers for the upper and lower shuttles respectively, a supporting device effective to normally maintain the next to the lowest weft carrier in horizontal alignment wit-h the upper shuttle, means to withdraw said supporting device from operative position upon transfer movement of the lower transferrer, and means on the lower transferrer effective to sustain the remaining column of weft carriers with the next to the lowest weft carrier in horizontal alignment with the upper shuttle when said supporting device is withdrawn.

5. In a double shuttle loom, a magazine having a single substantially vertical weft carrier compartment adapted to contain a plurality of superposed weft carriers, independently operable and horizontally movable transferrers for the upper and lower shuttles respectively, a supporting device eflective to normally maintain the next to the lowest weft carrier in said magazine in hori-' zontal alignment with the upper shuttle, and means to withdrawn said supporting device from operative position upon transfer movement of the lower transferrer, said lower stantial horizontal alignment with the upper shuttle.

6. In a double shuttle loom, a magazine having a single substantially vertical weft carrier compartment adapted to contain a plurality of superposed weft carriers, independently operable and horizontally movable transferrers for the upper and lower shuttles respectively, a supporting device effective to normally maintain the next to the lowest weft carrier in horizontal alignment with the upper shuttle, means to withdraw said supporting device from operative position upon transfer'movement of the lower transferrer, and yielding means to restore said supporting device to operative position, said means including aflexible connection permitting a delay return movement of said supporting device to normal position.

7. In a double shuttle loom, a magazine having a single substantially vertical weft carrier compartment adapted to contain a plurality of superposed weft carriers, independently operable and horizontally movable transferrers for the upper and lower shuttles respectively, a supporting device efiective normally to maintain a weft carrier in horizontal alignment with the upper shuttle, and means to withdraw said supporting device from operative position upon transfer movement of the lower transferrer.

8. In a double shuttle loom having upper and lower shuttles to be replenished, a magazine having a vertical carrier compartment adapted to contain a plurality of superposed weft carriers, transfer mechanism effective to move weft carriers from the magazine into either of the shuttles, and a movable device intermediate the shuttles when the latter are in transferring position and operatively connected to the transfer mechanism, said device normally maintaining a weft carrier in transfer position with respect to the upper shuttle and movable to release a bobbin thereabove to move to a position where it may be transferred into the lower shuttle.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

' RICHARD G. TURNER.

transferrer being of such thickness that the v lower remaining weft carrier in the magazine will be supported thereby during replenlshment of the lower shuttle in position to itself support the next higher weft carrier in sub 

